Let’s give thanks for a Thanksgiving that doesn’t need to totally stress us out.

I love Thanksgiving dinner with the big bird and all the sides. It reminds me of going to my grandma’s house in Kansas City where she would look at the table FULL of food and fret, “maybe I need to put out some creamed corn!”

Whether you’re cooking the whole dinner or taking side dishes to a friend or relative’s house, we’ve got you covered with some easy, delicious, and Idiot-proof Thanksgiving favorites.

Click on the pictures or the links for step by step instructions for each dish. I’ll also put all of the links for printable recipes at the bottom of this post.

The Turkey!

As you can see, I cook my turkey in an oven cooking bag. It’s incredibly easy – no fussing or basting – just season up the bird, plop it in the bag and let the oven do it’s thing.

These beans are my “go to” side dish. We have them at least once a week.

As you can clearly see, I’m all for the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. However, if I were going to add ONE THING to Thanksgiving, it would be this incredible Squash with Chile Lime Vinaigrette.

Chile and Lime might not be considered normal Thanksgiving flavors, but this recipe is crazy good. And honestly, the magic of this dish is that no one flavor stands out.

Some folks like Cornbread and this is my basic recipe. If I’m serving it with chili, I make it as shown here with jalapenos and cheddar cheese. Omit those and add a little chopped onion and some frozen corn for a more traditional cornbread recipe.

And biscuits are ALWAYS good. These are shown with cheddar and chives but this is a good, basic buttery biscuit recipe.

What if you are asked to bring salad? Does anyone make a jello mold anymore? Certainly not me.

My salads need to be crunchy and definitely LACKING jello or mini marshmallows. Of course, my favorite is Celery Salad

9 Responses to “How to Have an Idiot Proof Thanksgiving”

GOOD GOLLY! Claudia!!!!!!!! Would there be KITTENS too? I mean, you have everything else 🙂 Here, at this vegan household? Looks like spinach calzones and pumpkin pie! AND BOOZE! Pinot grigio maybe? Or maybe just a bottle of bourbon 🙂

Love Franciscan apple pattern–my “good” dishes! I have a large set and many serving pieces acquired by my sister in law when they were still being made in California. I also collect Watt pottery–a very Midwestern thing as it was given out by lumber yards, creameries etc as Christmas gifts in the 50s and 60s.

My beloved Grandma had Apple Dishes but they went to my cousin so a couple of years ago I bought my own set by scouring ebay. I love them! I inherited grandma’s love of dishes (when she was younger, she worked in the china department of a big department store). I have a HUGE weakness for green depression glass and old “nesting” pyrex mixing bowl sets. I’ll have to look up Watt pottery. Not that I need any other things to collect….

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